Crimson Bloodied Depths
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: They were always found bloodless, or very near it. No-one knew who was responsible, or why. But every teen was in danger, even at home or alone. One night snatches three more, and one step closer to the truth takes them further away from something else...
1. Part 1 of 2

Author's Notes

This was originally intended to be a oneshot, but I rethought that notion after exceeding nineteen pages in small handwriting, so it's a twoshot now. However, since more than half of this 'chapter' was written before that, it sort of reads as though it were a oneshot…at least for the first half or so. I didn't change it afterwards because I liked the way it read, but it does spoil a few things if you read enough into the hints dropped around.

By the way, the rating applies more for the next chapter, but just to be consistent, I've put this under the M section straight away.

Enjoy, and please tell me what you think. I'm sadly deprived at the moment, about to start the crazy week before exams revision…

* * *

><p><span>Crimson Bodied Depths<span>

They were always found bloodless, or very near it. No-one knew who was responsible, or why. But every teen was in danger, even in the safety of their own homes, or in company. One night snatches three more, and one step closer to the truth takes them further away from something else…

Junpei S & Kouichi K

Rating: M

Genre/s: Crime/Angst

* * *

><p><span>Part 1 of 2<span>

_The red roses gleamed in the moonlight; bright crimson, like the life's liquid they fed off while lesser ones were forced to make do with a small percentage of what it gave; a lesser compound no less important to the whole than the rest but little enough to accomplish more than the primary functions of remaining alive and spreading its inferiority. Called pure: white, yellow, a fading pink…all paling in comparison to the brilliant red. And even those that grew about, the intensity would, even then, fade to a murk polluted with black._

_They were inferior. Weak. The petals fell so quickly at the slightest touch, rotting away like the worthless plant who could not even scratch the edge of its full potential. They stood bare in the more disagreeable weathers, blooming for a brief period in their prime before wilting away and opening the spot for a successor. _

_Yes, they were inferior, compared to hers that retained their hue through the seasons and the years, from a little bud impregnated with a drop of her blood, the DNA working its way into the memory and the main-frame, to the magnificent walled garden walled away from the world, the mother protected well by its many children and still as spectacular as the day it had first fed on life._

_And yet, those worthless imitations of her treasure plagued the outer world, so near the source of perfection and yet not utilizing it. But it was their loss; she would take them, and feed them to her treasure…and in return, their scent, made stronger by each new bud that bloomed, slowly but surely freed what lay buried beneath._

_It took life and gave death. But in a way, they were one and the same thing._

…_but in a way not. Because death was a curse that could not be lifted, and life, the vivacious red gift of God, was increasingly drained._

* * *

><p>The two girls, both nineteen and black-haired but otherwise dissimilar and yet the best of friends, chatted about something or other as they passed through the already dark neighbourhood, lit only by the street lamps littered in various places although the deeper corners remained shrouded. Having not heard anything out of the ordinary by the way of criminal activity, they really had nothing to fear, and in any case, both were perfectly capable of defending themselves. After all, apart from its education (and other particulars), Japan prided itself on the Martial Arts, and many made an effort to train under the many Masters to attain at least the crudest experience.<p>

However, as they were currently so absorbed in conversation while passing through a relatively unused and so naturally dark alleyway, it took a moment for one of them to notice the strange odor in the air. It took a few minutes longer before the faint copper smell registered.

A light, curtsey of the advancing technology of the cell phone, flicked on, shining from a white head to a blue toe, cuts littered on the body while a few, noticeably a rather deep one around the jugular vein, was clotted after leaving a slight stain on the shirt.

The second girl, the one who had till then had not even noticed the smell, knelt down next to the crumpled form and felt for a pulse, relieved that the slight buzz in her mind gave her a courage she might not have otherwise found. The moment she found one however, the other screamed.

'He's dead,' the shorter and slightly younger of the two shrieked, backing away and hitting the other wall. 'Why are you touching him?'

'He is,' the other confirmed, more than a little creeped out herself, especially after having felt the cold rubberness under her fingertips. 'I had to check Hanako. What if he needed help?'

The first girl calmed a bit at that, but she was still far from consoled, her face in the dim light appearing to take on a greenish hue. The second, taking a hissing breath through her mouth (though she needn't have worried; the smell wasn't intense enough to trigger a regurgitation of her stomach contents, although the same thing couldn't be said at the knowledge of having touched a corpse and had the almost wax-like image permanently imprinted in her mind. After all, it was the sort of experience one rarely forgot.) stood and backed away herself, casting the light from her phone around the alley and revealing nothing else.

'Hanako?' she called out, repeating herself with a more steady voice when she noted it shaking. Hanako. We should call the police.'

The other stood still a moment, before nodding and dialing in the number (seeing as the other held hers as a light source they could not sacrifice), slowly in order to take advanteage of the moment and compose herself, pushing away the image and smell of death, except the pallor of the skin, so much like her late grandfather who's hand she had held to the last breath and who's cold touch now lay engrafted in her memories.

It only took a few minutes for the police to arrive, but all they had between was darkness, death and each other. And so they huddled, dim light granting what comfort it could as they stood in its glow, till the night's shadows were cast aside by the stronger torches.

* * *

><p>They had already gathered from the phone call that it was no regular murder, but rather another link in a never-ending chain, and the site in question appeared to confirm it (although there was no pleasure in such a confirmation). The red substance that came to be associated with life was mostly absent, approximated after a brief examination and some poking around with the flesh (before which the witnesses were removed to a less compromising location) to be at around 20% of its original value. An autopsy of course would tell them more.<p>

The scene was carefully lit, then roped off as the scene photographer snapped numerous shots. Some officers were dispatched to examine the 'fresh' evidence under the careful watch of their commander-in-chief, though it became obvious after a brief scan that several hours had passed since the body was deposited (as it was easily deduced that this was not the site of death).

That of course then led to the questioning of the presence of the two girls in an alley way which was rarely used.

'Names?' Senior Officer Eri Masuyo asked, dispatched by Inspector Hagane Shibiyama (who was currently surveying the surrounding area and under the chain of command of the Chief Inspector) to handle the witness testimony (or questioning as one may put it).

'Hanako Toshika,' the girl who had made the girl replied, turning a little less green now that there was a considerable distance between her and the main course of her distress.

'Sukino Shinigawa,' the other answered.

'Right,' the woman nodded, jotting down the names. 'Toshiko-chan, Shinigawa-chan. What were the two of you doing tonight?'

'Tonight?' Hanako repeated faintly.

'Before arriving at the scene,' the Senior Officer clarified.

The younger of the two looked at the elder who responded to the question without feeling the gaze.

'I was working.' And she looked like she had been too, with the crumpled but clearly uniform blouse and the "customer service" badge clipped in front. 'At Nerima-ku's main department store.'

'That's easy enough to check.' She jotted it down and looked at the other girl. 'And you?'

'I went to meet her,' Hanako replied. 'But she had forgotten to tell me the shift had been extended, so I wound up waiting at the café for about an hour.'

'Which café was this?'

The slightly younger of the two answered, and the Senior Officer recorded it. It was standard procedure to investigate alibis, but it was highly unlikely that the two girls were anything more than simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.

'And then?' Eri prompted, looking between the two.

'We stopped for a drink and then were heading to her house,' Sukino gestured at her friend. 'We sometimes use the short-cut, as it saves us the trouble of having to loop around. Hanako's house isn't far from the exit.'

'And?'

This time, it was Hanako who responded. 'I smelt something, so we stopped to check. And-'

She cut herself off, but it was unnecessary for her to continue as the rest of the pieces could be easily placed together.

'All right, that's enough.' The woman sighed and snapped her notebook shut before surveying both girls' postures and expressions. 'I'll ask someone to accompany the two of you home. Undoubtedly, you'd prefer a more familiar environment when the full extent of the shock hits.'

Because there was nothing that could delay or dull death.

* * *

><p>Another death. Another body returned almost completely drained of blood and mutilated beyond normal belief…and they were no closer in catching the perpetrator since the first body had been discovered months before, although the younger and more enthusiastic subordinates liked to think, or perhaps hope, that each new murder brought the murderer one step closer to justice.<p>

Superintendent Arata Kuono of the Criminal Investigations Bureau suppressed a tired groan as he scanned the latest report, nodding in acknowledgement and dismissing the officer who had delivered the said documents and ordering the immediate presence of both his second-in-command and a cup of coffee.

Chief Inspector Akane Kiyomizu stood at attention exactly three minutes with another file tucked under her arm, the coffee following in the hands of a harried secretary who was immediately discharged after the graying man had accepted the cup.

He took a sip, peering over the brim at the chestnut brown, her posture stiff and lines creasing into her face much like his own and showing the toll this particular case was taking on those investigating it.

'You're late,' the Superintendent said, but not reprimanding as he indicated the chair across his desk, which the woman took along with an apology which was waved off.

'Has the body's identity been confirmed yet?' he inquired. That was generally a touch-or-go question, depending on the time of discovery and when the police had been informed, and unless identity was confirmed on scene (ie. Should there be an ID on the said victim, a luck yet to be granted, or else found and recognsied by an acquaintance; uncommon yet not impossibly so), the report was usually separated from the on-scene compilation. While reports and certain paperwork from the higher-ups go through the Superintendent, calls from the forensic lab along with all the other paperwork (including raw information) went through the Chief Inspector before the compressed and sorted versions are passed along to relevant personnel. As for matching up with a missing person's report, it was no good unless he had been missing for at least 24 hours and a report had been lodged.

'Not as of yet,' the Chief Inspector replied.

'Scene?'

'Roped off and investigated sir.' She gestured at the manila file she placed before her.

Her superior accepted the file, flicking through the recently developed photographs while one eye compared their story to the brief report (a brief summary from the officers' on scene reports.)

He paused over a particular one: a graphic shot of the skin surrounding the jugular vein, flecks of blood and mud clotting the small yet deep incision. The graying eyeline narrowed a bit as he attempted to recall if blood clots had been present on earlier victims.

'They were not sir,' his deputy responded, reading the train of thought. 'Inspector Shibiyama and myself cross-checked these with the earlier exhibits.'

'Indeed…' Arata frowned. 'It appears every time a pattern, save the general age group and the drainage of blood, is found it is almost immediately discredited by a new attack. They are cunning, whoever they are. It would have been possible at a time to deduce they are all simply unlinked cases carried out by unrelated persons. Not even a number has been confirmed.'

'One has sir,' the Chief Inspector interrupted. 'Perhaps we do not know the number of people behind this, but we think we can now confirm the number of victims. It occurred to Shibiyama-san that perhaps some of the earlier unsolved and classed 'suicide' cases were linked, and reanalyzing them has lead to a death count of 14 linked up to this perpetrator or group thereof.'

'Which cases are these?' the Superintendent inquired. 'I only seem to recall 6 in which the victim was drained of blood.'

'Hai,' Akane replied, flicking through the file she had brought before pulling out a few leafs and handing them over. 'However there have been several cases, the earliest from June, in which there is less blood in or around the victim than should be, considering their size, age and body mass. It was noted but then dismissed because-'

'-teenage suicides are not uncommon,' the other continued. 'And it never occurred to anyone to investigate for potential murder. And those in which suicide was ruled out as an option-'

'-were eventually filed as unsolved when all possible occurring trials ran cold.'

The Superintendent nodded, feeling even more depressed as the death tool rose. 'Has anything more being deduced?'

The other hesitated, before answering. 'The forensic records have revealed the use of external anti-coagulants in several succeeding cases, namely those with a blood loss greater than fourty percent, and yet the blood still clotted around the jugular vein in the latest victim whose blood loss was approximated at the current maximum of eighty. What does that say…unless the boy in question was missing for longer than was originally suspected?'

Kuono fished out the on-scene report and rescanned its contents. 'Dressed in a school uniform, he was assumed to have vanished en-route to his hoe or otherwise afterwards without changing, as the consequences of skipping school are severe in a teen's mind.'

The Chief Inspector nodded. 'I asked Officer Kagura to check the school records, but as they cannot be accessed till tomorrow and we will have to wait for an identity confirmation in any case, we will have to wait for an exact time in which he disappeared.'

'So you suspect he vanished in the morning and never reached the school?'

The brunette shrugged. 'Perhaps, or he may have disappeared while _at_ school, but I cannot currently validate either hypothesis. There is also of course the possibility that he is _not_ a student, but the chances are rather slim.'

'In other words, the safety of a school with hundreds of people in its gates is compromised.' He closed his tired eyes, rubbing his temples with his free hand while taking a gulp of coffee. 'How much longer before their homes aren't safe either?'

It was a rhetorical question, and so went unanswered.

'Are we to alert the general public?' The Chief Inspector questioned.

Kuono thought a moment. 'No…' he answered finally. 'No. Because revealing these murders will curb the general behavior, and serial murders in the past either became provoked and fled or took up the challenge. Either way, it is more harmful in the long run.'

The answer had always been the same, but this was the first time it had been supported with an explanation.

Sensing the disgruntlement, the Superintendent continued.

'You weren't on the force then and I was a mere officer myself, but there was a major case then hidden from the public's eyes during my oversees transfer: another serial murder case. The cases were getting out of hand, and so the public was eventually informed and lockdown measures were insured. The murderer vanished without a trace, only to show up again about a month later and go in a killing spree with all the insanity he had built up over that time. The decision to inform the public was taken in their best interests, but in the end wound up costing them more than their ignorance. On that basis, I do not wish to inform them now.'

'So we once again ask for silence.' Akane Kiyomizu accepted that, gathering the files again. 'May I be dismissed sir?'

Her superior spared the digital clock on his desk a glance. 'It's past midnight. Go home and come back at eight. If the forensic lab call, I'll have Fujieda-kun take a message.'

She nodded and saluted once again, files back to their initial position of being tucked under her arm, before heading off.'

'Oh, and Kiyomizu-kun?'

The Chief Inspector turned, hand on handle.

'If you see Shibiyama-kun, tell him he is also dismissed for the remainder of tonight.' If you could really call it a night he thought, but that remained unspoken. The stern brown eyes tore into his own obsidian for a moment, before she nodded her acknowledgement and departed, leaving the other with a half-finished cup of coffee going cold and another few twists to the gruesome tale which had been handed to him after exceeding for unsolved yet obviously connected murders.

How much longer would it be before an ending to this story was written? The conclusion still looked too far off to be of any comfort.

Little did the weary Superintendent know, that was closer than he thought. To be more accurate, the answer was right under his nose.

* * *

><p>Akane did, in fact, spot Inspector Shibiyama on her way out, the slightly older man fetching a coffee refill at the cafeteria, and hailed him.<p>

'You're dismissed for tonight,' she said straight away, cutting to the chase, so to speak.

The Inspector blinked, seeing as his superior, and the woman who normally took charge of the unit unless something exceedingly serious demanded the Superintendent's intervention, rarely allowed work to be left undone.

'I haven't completed-'

'The Superintendent's orders,' the Chief Inspector interrupted, slightly snappishly, before her features softened a touch. 'Go home to your son Shibiyama-kun. With all these murders, it would ease your mind to see him safe in bed.'

'Provided he's not up waiting for me,' Hagane sighed. 'It's hard, seeing each body and thinking how long before he could be like those unfortunate children if we don't find out who's behind all this. I can only imagine what their families must be going through.'

He began to walk, and the Chief Inspector followed. 'I cannot even do that,' she said, almost sadly. 'Having not had the opportunity to bare children of my own.'

'You will not take another?' he asked, feeling he was prying into his superior's personal affairs but somehow thinking it important…something that was reinforced by the piercing glance he received before an answer.

'No. I love him too much to replace him with anything less.' And with that, she sped up her gait, passing him and pausing only to repeat the original message with a touch of finality over her shoulder before vanishing around the sharp corner.

The piercing eyes, as they always did, implanted themselves within his mind as he returned to his desk. If there had been anything different about them as of late, it was dismissed for weariness and felt inability.

After all, there wasn't a man or woman involved so deep that wasn't affected. Even as they all attempted to mask their toll.

After all, weariness could not be afforded when racing against death.

* * *

><p>The Inspector was relatively unsurprised to find both wife and only child waiting for his return, even if it was went into the first hour of a new day when his car pulled into the driveway.<p>

The two had evidently been viewing a recording, presumably one of those 'World's Greatest Inventions' shows Junpei greatly liked as he had spied a contraption similar to a large connection of tanks before the TV screen was switched off and he was assaulted by something akin to a bear hug.

He had to suppress a chuckle as the sixteen year old pulled away and his mother came up. No doubt Yumi had been rather bored with the viewing, and indeed he spotted a book on the coffee table beside which she had been sitting. Junpei on the contrary rather enjoyed looking at the newest inventions on the market and working with little mechanics himself…a little trait both parents had quite a bit of difficulty pinpointing the location of.

'You're late,' his wife pointed out to him.

'I know,' the aging man sighed, rubbing his brow before letting out a sneeze that had been bugging him. 'There was an unexpected setback.'

'Another one?'

'Yes.'

They spoke in undertones, not for the child who already knew but for anyone else who might be listening. Perhaps they were being a little paranoid, but it was perfectly justified seeing as probability increased in magnitude but not in direction than the parameter set (a not entirely helpful one as Tokyo was quite a large place).

'It's not anyone you know son,' he added almost immediately, seeing Junpei's mouth open to ask.

He closed his mouth again before thinking a moment and reopening it. 'Why can't we tell them?'

'Orders straight from the Superintendent,' Hagane replied. 'It's worth more than my job and freedom for that sort of insubordination. Besides, telling them most likely puts them at more risk.'

'Why?'

Cautious behavior is very detectable. It's very easy for someone to make out. I wouldn't have told you either, if you hadn't been eavesdropping on your mother and my private conversation.'

He delivered a stern glare to his son who flushed slightly under the intensity. 'I was worried 'tou-san.'

The older man chucked dryly. 'You don't think your old man can handle himself?'

Junpei said nothing, and his father rubbed his brow again. 'If it pulls your mind at ease, you can call them in the morning. Normal conversation. In any case, it's only one of the twins and your girlfriend-'

'She's not my girlfriend.'

'-who are in the area and within the age group, seeing as Takuya…that was his name, right?..is far away from all this, and the other twin lives in Chiba.'

'Hokkaido and Chiba aren't that far away.'

'They are when the radius is drawn around Tokyo. And whenever it is hasn't targeted many girls, and no-one who doesn't look to be of Japanese origin. They'd have to have access to inside records to know that-'

'Izumi.'

'-Izumi is Tokyo born.'

'That's true. But 'tou-san, I think it's a Dad weekend.'

'Dad weekend?' That was the first time _this_ father was hearing of it.

'Kouichi's turn to sleep over at his father's place. Besides, Kouichi practically lives on the border anyway. He goes to school in Tokyo.'

The twins alternated homes every other weekend after the reunion, despite the over hour difference that separated them in good conditions.

'Well…' Hagane thought on it, sniffing back another sneeze (they had been plaguing him at random intervals over the last few weeks). 'It's a job separating those two. Very protective of each other. Like a wolf-pack I like to think.'

'Or a lion's pride,' Junpei added, smiling a little at the behavior of the beast spirits still rearing their heads. 'Yeah, you're right. I guess I am just scared. That's something that hasn't changed.'

'It takes a foolish man not to fear,' Yumi interrupted, returning from…wherever she went. 'But a brave man to admit they're scared.'

'So how about I see this brave man in bed?' Hagane suggested.

The teen agreed readily now that all was safe, and headed off to the bathroom.

Inspector Shibiyama watched him go, praying the words he uttered would remain steadfast and true.

What he didn't realize till too late was that they _were_, only not in the sense he had meant.

* * *

><p>Officer Tsuki Kagura stood at the gates of Katsuchikano High School, armed with the victim report finalized by the forensic unit at three that morning, and accompanied by the principal and his secretary as the latter unlocked the said gate. Being Sunday, there was no school for students, so it was a rather good opportunity to examine the alleged disappearance of the murder victim, whose identity had been confirmed as fifteen year old Kado Akihabara, previous to his death a ninth grader at the school.<p>

'We take the safety of our students very seriously,' Principal Satou said wearily s the door closed behind them. 'Gates are closed ten minutes after homeroom begins, excluding office access, and a teacher is stationed on duty in case there are any late comers. The front gates don't open again till dismissal time, but the back doors are used for excursions, visitations and the likes.'

'I see,' Kagura nodded, jotting the statement down. 'Was it opened yesterday?'

By then, the three were at the office, and the secretary quickly and efficiently logged onto her desktop and pulled up the requested information.

'Twice,' she responded. 'The seventh grade boys had swimming as a part of their sport curriculum, and another letting a student out with a sick pass. Eleventh grade female,' she added, after seeing the officer about to ask.

'Could you bring up Akihabara-kun's attendance records?' he asked, mulling over the new information.

'Of course.' She did so, scanning them quickly before reporting. 'He was present in homeroom and first four classes sir. He appears to have been absent from fifth period science.'

'How do the periods run?'

'Hour long, three before a recess, the another two. On Saturday, school lets out after the fifth period, and on other days, there is lunch and another two before dismissal.'

'So he disappeared between two joint classes? With students remaining in the same room at that?'

'Before that was art sir. An elective.'

Satou frowned. 'Bring up the security footage,' he commanded.

The secretary obeyed, but even after the recordings had been scanned multiple times, no new information was revealed. The boy had simply entered a blind spot and vanished.

Now that he thought about it, the alley in which the victim had been found was a blind spot as well.

* * *

><p>'I'm not leaving my friends Papa,' Izumi Orimoto scowled up at her father, green eyes piercing and bright in their determination.<p>

'That is not your choice to make,' Drago Orimoto replied in equal force to that of his daughter's retaliation to the idea, perhaps stronger as it was he with the edge over the fourteen year old. 'It's only for a year, and then we'll come back.'

'We will?' The intensity somewhat dimmed once she realised she wasn't leaving forever.

The graying father scratched his head. 'Didn't I mention that?'

'No!' the blonde exclaimed. 'And that would have been nice to know earlier.'

'Yes…about that…' Drago scratched his head again with a sheepish expression as he prepared for his daughter's wrath. 'We're leaving tomorrow morning.'

'We're what?'

'Keep it down,' Nanami Orimoto yelled from the kitchen.

* * *

><p>The blonde tapped her foot impatiently and a little miserably as she waited for someone to pick up. Takuya was away at soccer camp, so there was no hope in reaching him, Junpei was asleep after staying up late, Tomoki was out with his brother somewhere and no-one was picking up at Kouichi's apartment. That left Kouji, but it didn't sound like anyone was picking up there either…<p>

…until the ringing stopped and a slightly unexpected voice greeted her.

'Kouichi?' she asked, surprised. 'It's Sunday. Why are you at Kouji's?'

'School got cancelled,' the elder twin replied, 'and 'kaa-san didn't want me alone since she's got standby.'

'Oh, okay.' She was silent after that, for so long that the other had to express his concern twice to get recognition.

And still she hesitated. Because even for a year, she didn't want to leave. Though it was a great opportunity for her father, and a chance to see all the friends and relatives they had left behind…and she would be coming back.

'Izumi?' Kouichi asked, alerting her to the fact that her mind had drifted again. 'Did you want to speak to Kouji?'

'Could you get him on the extension?'

'Sure. Just give me a minute.'

She heard the receiver being covered and a series of muffled conversations after that, and then Kouji's voice joined them.

'Izumi?'

She took a deep breath, and then blurted out: 'I'm going back to Italy!'

Silence greeted her, and she took another deep breath before continuing. 'Papa's been offered a promotion and year transfer, and it's a great opportunity and all, and we'll be able to see everyone again, and-'

'You're blabbing,' Kouji cut her off bluntly.

She stopped talking.

'When?'

'When what?'

'When are you leaving?'

'Oh…tomorrow morning.' That last bit was muttered.

'Would you like us to see you off?' That was Kouichi.

'Everyone else still has school, don't they?'

'Unfortunately.' That was Kouji. 'We could skip though.'

'Yeah,' his twin responded dryly. 'If you didn't have your math exam.'

'Whoops.'

The younger twin sounded slightly sheepish. 'Why are my exams later than everyone else?'

Actually,' Izumi mused. 'I think it's Takuya and Kouichi that have theirs earlier.' Then to Kouichi, she added. 'Why is your school cancelled anyway?'

'No idea,' the ex-warrior of darkness replied. 'The office just called and said it has.'

'Lucky you,' the younger twin commented. 'Getting to stay home while my hand cramps writing equations.'

Until Satomi-san decided to take me shopping with her tomorrow.'

The other two both laughed at the tone, Izumi savouring the moment, knowing that the boy's stepmother would most likely wear him out by the time school finished.

'Shall we arrange your funeral?" Kouji quipped.

'How about you arrange yourself some revision instead?'

'Touché.'

'Anyway…do you want me to?'

By then, the remaining two had lost track of the original conversation.

'See you off,' Kouichi reminded.

'Well…' To be honest, she really wanted someone there, so she could say goodbye. 'If it's not too much trouble.'

'Not at all,' the other assured. 'Just tell me the time. And give us a number when you get there, okay?"'

'And call at least once a fortnight,' Kouji added.

'Aww…extending our tradition? Since when were you so sentimental?'

'Ni-san!'

Izumi chuckled again at the twins. 'I will, she promised, on both accounts

If only the three knew there wouldn't be a need, or a possibility, to keep even one in the end.

* * *

><p>'Are you going to give her a goodbye kiss?' Kouji teased once both had hung up and the elder had joined his brother upstairs.<p>

'What are you scheming in that head of yours?' Kouichi responded. 'I've never liked her like that.'

'I found that rather difficult to believe,' the other commented. 'And Takuya and Junpei don't at all.

'Why? 'cause she's the only girl in the group and it's perfectly natural to have had at least a one-way crush on someone's part at one point or other? Forgetting I joined the group late?'

'That should hardly make a difference. In fact, it makes you better boyfriend material.'

The elder twin rolled his eyes. 'I'm not interested in dating and it is rather hypocritical of you to lecture me as neither do you.'

The younger spun slightly on his chair. 'I'm not lecturing you about dating,' he clarified. 'Takuya and I have both been on a date with her, both of which would up rather awkward because we're all too much alike. She would have accepted Junpei's constant nagging if she was interested in him, which only leaves you seeing as she and Tomoki have more of a older sister/little brother relationship. And you're a perfect match.'

'Opposites attract?' Kouichi asked, arching an eyebrow. 'That's clichéd, and while it might have worked if we had met another way, but neither of us would be truly happy in a romantic relationship unless there was equality on all counts, and that won't happen because I owe you all too much.'

Kouji thought about that. To an extent, he knew what his brother was talking about; old scars took time to heal after all, some longer than others. Heck, the thin red like marked by Duskmon's blade, still scarred his back; of course, he had been extra careful not to divulge that information to his twin.

'That makes sense,' he said finally, before another smirk danced across his face. 'Got your eye on someone else then?'

'You get off the topic of my non-existent dating life and back on to Pythagoras.'

'So you do like someone.'

'Trust me otouto-chan, if I liked someone, you'd know.'

''cause you'd turn up all red and starry eyed?'

'Kouji! Math!'

'All right. Fine.'

* * *

><p>The bureau had returned to full capacity by morning…in terms of personnel anyway. It didn't look like anyone had gotten a good-night's sleep, as even while the lower ranking officer were swapped out, there was a feel of general weariness. In fact, the Chief Inspector, bent over the reports left on her desk from forensics and further work from other officers into a slightly more detailed investigation, looked almost sick, though she apparently had tried (a tad unsuccessfully namely because of the dimming intensity of her eyes and dry voice) to conceal with foundation.<p>

The Superintendent was away and not to return till later that night, dealing with some matter or other linked to the higher echelons of the police force. Others were working just as lethargically on many a thing, some occasionally being called away for various matters. Officer Kagura, having returned from his own investigations on the recent case, was conversing with intelligence, and the few remarks of illness passed from mouth to ear were dutifully ignored.

Some were ready to quit by lunch, and one was eventually dismissed by the Chief Inspector on the order to catch up on their sleep. It, however, wasn't until three that she herself gave up the fight to remain intact with her work and departed, leaving Inspector Shibiyama, the most experienced of those in rank, in charge.

About five minutes after the departure, the Inspector sneezed. Another bout soon followed before leaving his nose blocked and stuffy and essentially a failure at one of its two primary functions: smell.

If it wasn't, he may have noted the particularly strong scent wafting through the air. As it was, he had only noticed when the odour still hovered (faintly by then) an hour later.

* * *

><p>Izumi opened her windows wide to let the cool autumn breeze flutter through the slowly baring room, leaning on the frame to savour what could be her last view of her newest home, seeing as her mind would probably be too fogged with sleep to take in the sight the following morning and the odds of returning to the same house were rather astronomical. Ignoring the packing that still needed to be done, she photographed the sun setting on Tokyo's horizon within her mind, closing her eyes to picture it as brightly as she wad with both open, and then she recast her gaze from the second floor to memorise the defining features of the neighbourhood which had managed to worm its way into her heart, and she would soon leave.<p>

Not to mention the friends, most of whom she would not have the chance to give a proper goodbye to (having gotten through to Junpei after he woke from his late nap but eventually giving up on Tomoki seeing as Takuya was already known to be outside the current realm of communication). She knew a year wasn't too long, relatively speaking, but after the adventures in the Digital World, it seemed inconceivable that they could be apart for such a period; their bonds were too tightly woven. She remembered the time Junpei's father, the Inspector Hagane Shibiyama, had been called to Hokkaido on accounts of criminal activity, and for the cover, his family had gone with him. It had only been two weeks, but the ex-warrior of thunder had been rather antsy to return, and the others anxiously waiting by the end. Too used to the collective presence, she could barely begin to consider how it would be to spend a year apart.

She sighed a little, listening to the wind's melody, a sound she always found comforting though even more so since the Digital World, before pushing away from the window and resuming the packing…

…or that was the intention anyway. A rather subtle addition to the song curbed the weak resolve. It actually did a lot more, but she herself would never be graced with the knowledge, simply listening to the soft bells in the breeze until all ceased to exist.


	2. Part 2 of 2

Author's Notes

Notes at the end.

Enjoy. Or don't. I was feeling a little sadistic when I came up with the story.

* * *

><p><span>Crimson Bodied Depths<span>

They were always found bloodless, or very near it. No-one knew who was responsible, or why. But every teen was in danger, even in the safety of their own homes, or in company. One night snatches three more, and one step closer to the truth takes them further away from something else…

Junpei S & Kouichi K

Rating: M

Genre/s: Crime/Angst

* * *

><p><span>Part 2 of 2<span>

She lay on the unrolled plastic tarp, not feeling the dirt beneath the barrier, nor the roots networking beneath. She couldn't smell the sweet smell in the air; a plastic mask was covering her mouth and nose, pumping oxygen from somewhere else to sustain her life force.

For a time anyway. Roots slowly crawled from the dirt, wrapping themselves around their prey, twisting and arching before the sharp tips struck and drew blood. Honey sweet, the vivacious liquid blossomed beneath the new scars, and it reached out, lapping it all up, penetrating deeper and further as the miniscule hairs radiated out, searching for and absorbing sustenance.

It was almost content. Almost...but not quite.

But soon enough, it would be.

Before the night was over in fact.

* * *

><p>Kouji sighed in irritation as the phone rang again, tempted to abandon his textbook and answer it, but knowing he would be sent back by either his brother, stepmother or father, depending on who caught him first.<p>

So it was a lose-lose situation.

Sighing again, he got back to his books. 'Still Pythagoras.' He made a face, before grabbing a pen and trying to work out another problem.

* * *

><p>Downstairs in the Minamoto's double storey house, it was Satomi who picked up the phone.<p>

'Minamoto residence,' she said into the receiver. '. Satomi speaking.'

'_Salve_,' a voice greeted her, male and laced with worry. '_Mi dispiace_, but I was hoping my Izumi is with you? She is not home now.'

'Izumi?' she repeated. 'I don't think so, but I'll check with my sons.'

Even if they were not blood-related to her, she still felt they were her sons, and with time, both became willing enough to see her as a second mother. She knew she could never take the place in their hearts that belonged to their biological mother, especially to Kouichi who lived with the said woman, but no-body really minded anymore. Any awkwardness that had ensured by their reunion had long since faded away.

'Kouichi,' she called, covering the receiver.

An answering call ensured from the living room, so she assumed the elder twin was curled up with some book, seeing as she couldn't hear the television.

'Could you come here a moment?'

He came, looking slightly confused and bring his book with him, validating her earlier assumption. An English classic, she noted with some amusement. Riders of the Purple Sage.

'You wouldn't happen to have snuck your friend Izumi in without either of us noticing, have you?' Satomi asked, half in amusement, half with worry.

Kouichi simply considered her a moment, before shaking his head. 'I haven't heard from her since she called earlier today.'

'Has Kouji?'

'He better not have. He's supposed to be studying.' He continued to look at his stepmother, before asking: 'Do you want me to check upstairs?'

'Please do.' Now Satomi was definitely a little worried.

Kouichi, sensing the concern, simply nodded and headed upstairs, before coming down a minute later and shaking his head.

'I'm sorry,' she said into the receiver, uncovering the mouthpiece. 'Neither of my sons have seen her either.'

'_Grazie_ anyway,' Drago Orimoto said kindly, though sounding even more worried now that all of his daughter's friends still in town did not know where his baby girl was. '_Buona note_.'

He must have been very worried indeed to speak so much in Italian to a woman who did not know a single phrase in the said language.

* * *

><p>Drago hung up the receiver in despair, before turning to his wife. 'No-one's seen her,' he groaned, on the verge of panicking even with Nanami's golden hair tumbling down in a comfortable manner around his neck and shoulder blades. 'And she's certainly not so irresponsible as to simply leave without telling us in the first place.'<p>

'_Si_ dear,' Nanami agreed, about as worried as her husband but trying not to show it. 'But you know teenagers these days. Perhaps she is with a boy.'

'Not my baby,' her husband protested. 'She is too young.'

Nanami couldn't help but laugh at that. 'I was her age when we went out of our first date,' she pointed out. 'And if I remember correctly, I escaped through the second storey window and snuck into my parents' house four hours later to find my parents in a panic.'

'_Si_, but-'

His wife silenced him with a kiss. 'Don't worry so much,' she tried, although she was worried herself, and the situation wasn't helping much. 'You'll jinx her.'

But the couple had no way of knowing that the damage was done well before.

'Still, if she's not home in ten minutes, I'm calling the police.'

'She'll give you grey hair before she's an adult.'

'She's already giving me grey hair.'

Nanami gave her husband's hair a critical eye, before plucking one. '_Si_, you're right.'

'Nanami, you weren't supposed to agree,' Drago cried, grabbing the now tender area.

* * *

><p>Inspector Hagane Shibiyama drove slowly home after the long day at the office. Nothing new had come up, save a couple of the lower ranked officers acting a little skittish...but that was to be expected he supposed. They weren't used to serial murder cases.<p>

Neither was he to be honest. But he had been in the profession longer.

He stopped at a red light, tapping his foot slightly impatiently while waiting for it to turn green again.

Until he spotted something red that certainly wasn't a part of the glow from the traffic lights.

As an officer of the law, it was his job to investigate any abnormal disturbances, and so he pulled off the road, parked the car in the emergency stopping lane, and got out to take a look, leaving the headlights on.

Once he saw what the red was from, he wished he hadn't.

After all, he didn't need light to be able to tell the smell of blood.

But he had needed them to identify the red-soaked blonde.

'Oh god,' he managed to murmur, before clambering back into his car and activating his radio.

'Hello? I need a forensics team at the intersection of Yasukuni and Meiji-dori avenue. There's been another murder.'

'Roger sir. We're sending a squad now.'

'Understood.'

* * *

><p>It didn't take long for the team, accompanied with a group of officers, Tsuki Kagura being among them.<p>

'I can take over from here,' he said, a little pointedly. 'You should get home to your son.'

'Yeah,' the Inspector agreed, though slightly suspicious about the other's behaviour. 'She was one of his best friends too.'

He could only imagine telling Junpei now. Especially as his prayers had been cast into the dust.

* * *

><p>Junpei knew there was something wrong the second his father walked through the door. Certainly the recent cases were wearing him down, but it didn't look like the usual exhausted and worried expression. In fact, it looked almost personal.<p>

'What's wrong?' he asked immediately. 'Did something happen? Are you okay?'

Hagane stopped the flow of questions as Yumi came up, an apron wrapped around her waist.

'I'm okay,' the man sighed heavily, before steeling himself. 'There was another murder. Your friend Izumi-'

'Izumi?' Both wife and son gaped horrified as shock reeled. 'B-but-' Something suddenly clicked in Yumi's mind.

'Didn't you say only police personnel could know she's Tokyo born? But that means-'

Her husband caught on to the voiced suspicions. 'That means someone in the police force is involved. And judging from Kagura, it is a higher up.'

He frowned, before looking his wife in the eye. 'I'm taking Junpei with me. This needs to end.'

She nodded, albeit worriedly. 'Take care of yourselves.'

They both nodded, the latter still lost in his shock, before his father's next words sent the thoughts reeling in a different directions. 'You ought to ring your other friends. They'd take it better from you.'

'Y-yeah,' he answered hesitantly. It was just so hard to believe. This latest case had hit too close to home.

Shock soon enough gave way to anger. No-one hurt a friend and got away with it without paying hell. Anyone who went so far as to kill one would pay worse.

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the perspective, he would not be the one to deliver that judgement.

* * *

><p>Kouichi was only halfway through his book when the phone rang for the third time that afternoon. Knowing Kouji was downstairs for a drink and a break, he didn't bother getting out of his comfortable position, thinking that someone else would answer the phone. After all, Kouji was in the kitchen, and he was sure his parents were in the study.<p>

But when no-one answered the phone after a few minutes, he sighed, marking his page, before picking up the receiver.

'Hello,' he said. 'Minamoto residence.'

'Kouichi?' It sounded like Junpei's voice, but different somehow. Only, he couldn't place his finger on the reason.

'Yeah,' he replied anyway, concerned about the lack of normality in his friend's tone. It sounded somewhere between blank, shock, pain and anger...which was a rather odd combination. 'Is something wrong?'

He heard a sharp intake of breath from the other side, before Junpei answered. 'I-It's a long story.'

'Go ahead. I'm listening.'

So Junpei did as best as he could. And while the story was riddled with many tangents (as he had a tendency to blab in these sorts of situations), the other didn't call him out on it, simply letting him talk.

'So that's why your school was cancelled,' the eldest of their now quintet declared, before pausing there.

Kouichi didn't say anything for awhile, either waiting for the other or trying to absorb the information, but eventually he spoke.

'Fifteen deaths and no-body's heard of anything?'

'Trying to keep out of public knowledge so as not to provoke whoever's doing this. Apparently they tend to go into overdrive,' Junpei replied. 'But that's not why I called.' He hesitated here, before blurting it all out at once.' WhoeveritwaskilledIzumitoo.'

Miraculously, Kouichi's brain managed to process that mumbo-jumbo, as anyone else would have needed a slower repeat. As it was, the sharp draw of breath and the sudden clattering (telltale sounds of the receiver falling from someone's hands) from the other side told Junpei he wouldn't need to repeat the statement, as hard as it was the first time.

Silence echoed after that, save the sound of an engine on Junpei's side, until Kouichi finally managed to speak again.

'When?' he asked hoarsely.

'Just a little while ago. 'tou-san found her.'

There was a sound of barking, before the front door was suddenly barrelled over by the German Sheppard.

'Marise!' Kouji yelled, rounding the corner with more grace than his dog. 'Hey, come back here!'

He pelted after his pet, who was now vanishing around the end of the street, either ignoring or not hearing Kouichi yelling at him to stop.

'Kouji! No! Come back!'

Too late, he was already gone.

'Kouichi?' Junpei asked, concerned and a little confused, though worry became paramount as the phone fell a second time, followed by footholds indicating the elder twin had run after his brother. 'Kouichi? Are you crazy? Come back!'

Kousei heard the commotion front he study and picked up his extension. 'What's going on?' he asked tersely.

'Minamoto-san!' Junpei shouted desperately. 'There's a murderer on the loose targeting teenagers and your sons just ran outside! Stop them!'

It was a mark of how panicked the twins' friend sounded that he followed the command without question, leaving an extremely anxious Satomi behind as he ran onto the empty streets in search for his children.

* * *

><p>Kouji finally caught up to the German Sheppard in the thicker portion of one of the parks that littered the Shibuya district. It was actually similitude to a rather small forest house, as the trees surrounding the area were so thick that barely any light from the streets or the sun ever made it through. With his bad night-vision, he could see nothing in the darkness, but he could hear his dog's laboured breathing as Marise finally stopped his mad dash for...whyever he had run off in the first place.<p>

'Marise?' he asked gently, carefully making his way over and catching himself as he tripped on a stray branch. 'Come here boy.'

The dog gave a low growl, almost like a snarl, before there was a shout behind him and a yelp in front. Then something (someone rather) had tackled him and brought him down into the twigs and leaves and dirt as a loud bang echoed above them...and then silence.

'Kouji! Kouji!' Kouichi shouted desperately, before sharply hissing like an angry cat at the woman who had appeared behind them.

Beneath him, his younger twin stirred, before picking himself up as the elder twin clambered off him, putting himself defensively between the stranger and his brother, before suddenly gagging as his brain registered the pungent smell in the air.

'I'm Police,' the woman explained, flashing a badge that managed to catch the outside rays of light. Kouji, being the one into crime movies and the likes, recognised the badge as he stood next to his brother, and the relaxing body language was telling the same to his brother. The smell clogging up his nostrils, until he blocked them with one hand while looking for the source, was however not. 'I work for the Criminal Investigations Department, investigating-'

'-the serial murder case,' Kouichi interrupted, voice slightly muffled and eyes carefully raking the woman. It was tempting to turn his back and check on Marise, but the sudden silence on that part and something about the woman in front was stopping him. 'Chief Inspector Akane Kiyomizu.'

Kouji stared sightlessly at him. 'How do you know?' he asked, the same time the woman affirmed the name and title.'

'Blitzmon mentioned her,' Kouichi replied, staring at the flaming red hair that was now hanging rather limp and unhealthy, then the face, pallid white with sunken cheeks with a beautiful mask swimming in front.

Slightly dizzy, he blinked and transferred his gaze, feeling his brother tense up beside him. 'You mean-'

'Shush,' his brother interrupted, cutting of the name, and causing the woman to laugh merrily.

'A bright one, aren't you?' she complimented. 'How did you know I was the one your friend Junpei Shibiyama mentioned?'

There was a sharp intake of breath from both twins, before Kouji relaxed slightly with an annoyed growl. 'Is it your job to poke your nose into other peoples' businesses?'

'Unfortunately, yes,' the red-head sighed, watching the other's eyes take in every detail with slight worry. She hadn't realised that the older twin was so perceptive. Must have been hiding it.

Then her lips twisted slightly. It could still work out to be rather entertaining.

And Kouichi caught that smirk and tripped his brother back.

'Hey!' Kouji exclaimed, trying to get up only to trip over something warm. 'What?'

The warm stickiness remained even as he pulled away. 'Marise?'

No enthusiastic whine. No angry growl. No affectionate pout. No heavy breathing.

No reply.

'Marise! Hey, what happened?'

Kouichi could hear the panic in his normally calm voice, but being unable to see was a great burden. He took a deep breath himself, before glaring at the other. 'You shot him,' he said, voice shaking slightly before steeling.

'That's a rather harsh accusation,' the other pointed out, sounding a little insulted. 'As a deputy of police, it is my job to-'

'Your shirt's singing,' Kouichi countered. 'As if you put a just fired gun in the holster.'

She frowned lightly, checking her shirt and finding nothing, before smiling. And somehow, that smile seemed even more deadly than the frown.

'You've got rather keen nightvision,' she commented. 'Your brother on the other hand, doesn't.'

She flicked the gun out and fired, and it was only because the other had caught the motion and shouted that Kouji was able to dive out of the way, cannoning into a tree as he lacked the sight advantage of the other two. 'What's going on?' he shouted again. 'We didn't do anything!'

'No,' the woman agreed. 'You didn't.'

That statement sent warning bells through both twins minds, but because Kouichi was the only one with the background information, he was the only one who caught the hint.

'You're the murderer,' he breathed, backing up and trying to get nearer to his brother, before stopping in his tracks as the other levelled her gun at him. 'You killed them. You killed Izumi.'

Luckily, he was speaking so quietly by then that Kouji hadn't heard the last part, otherwise he would no doubt have done something very stupid.

'I did,' she confirmed, weapon still focused on target.

'Why?'

'Why do you think?' The red lips, redder than reality, twisted into a smirk as the mask was cast aside.

'Oh I don't know,' Kouichi responded sarcastically, as he tended to do when he was frightened for his life. 'World domination's not going to get you anywhere with this, and it's more a vampire tail than anything else. Trying to brew an immortality potion?'

'Not quite,' the woman laughed, name as red as her deed. 'But close enough. Immortality indeed, but no potion. Blood in its purest form is enough for that. But I only need one more. So you see, I've got a bit of a problem.'

The smell grew stronger, causing Kouichi to cough slightly even with his nose covered, before she continued.

'Two twins, and I can't let you one of you walk away. At the same time, it would be rather unfortunate if I get caught here, so I suppose that only leaves one option.'

She fingered another holster, not the empty one, before pulling out a 9mm pistol, almost exactly the same as the one she already held, before tossing the one a bullet short to the elder twin.

The target made no move to pick it up as the other gun shifted targets and was aimed at Kouji instead, who was yet to move from his place against the tree trunk, having got the main gist of the conversation.

'You're the problematic one,' Akane stated calmly, causing the elder to freeze and resemble a stone statue. 'You were on the phone. I did not expect you to run after your brother. After all, you appear to be the weaker one.'

'He's not weak!' Kouji shouted, only to be silenced by his brother, who unlike him could see the full extent of their danger.

'Evidently not,' the Chief Inspector continued. 'Knowledge and perception are two very dangerous weapons, especially when one knows how to use them.' The cold brown eyes bored into blue for a moment, before she gestured at the gun lying towards the other's feet with her free hand. 'Pick that up.'

He glanced at the other gun, firmly on the path of death, fear clouding his senses as he released his cover, before doing so. 'To frame me?' he asked.

'To do the deed yourself,' she replied. 'I'm giving you the choice. You shoot yourself and the police write it off as another suicide, you shoot your brother...or you try anything else and _I_ kill him.'

'Kouichi! No!' Kouji shouted immediately. 'Let her kill me! Don't-'

'Shut up,' the other snapped. 'I wasn't done talking.'

Kouji, to his credit, did so.

'Good,' the woman purred, before continuing. 'Whatever choice you make, I'll be taking the twin remaining alive. My roses need one more dose of blood to fill my quota. About fourty percent. You can keep the other sixty.'

'Fourty percent,' Kouichi repeated. 'That's enough to-'

'-to kill a teenager,' Kouji finished. 'So you're saying we'll both wind up dead. What makes you think you'll get away with it.'

'I have gotten away with it,' the Chief Inspector pointed out. 'It'll be too late if anyone else finds out now. Your father's having a little trouble finding the two of you in this dark, and when he does, we'll be long done here.'

'But-' the younger twin protested, unbelieving that the situation was really that hopeless. He was a realist, unlike his existential brother, but it was too fast, too sudden, to be able to just _accept_.

'No Kouji,' Kouichi interrupted again, sounding defeated. 'She's right. It is hopeless.'

Kouji gaped blindly at his brother, surprised that the guy who had thrown his own life to the stars in the slim hope that he could create a miracle with it was giving up so easily, as he continued in the same tone. 'She's a Chief Inspector of Police. She knows how to get past any investigating team, at least long enough to get what she wants.'

'Kouichi.'

He didn't say anything after that, wondering what his brother was going to chose. He knew for sure that the third option would not be taken, even if it is the one he would prefer. He knew that if his brother was going to chose between two lives, he was going to make it by his own hands.

He didn't want blood staining his brother's palms, but no doubt that was what was going to happen. He could shoot himself, but he doubted his brother would do that, namely because that was the preferable option for the younger twin. For one, no murderer. And secondly, no pain. Dying by blood loss was a rather painful way to go.

The third option, the one he wanted least of all, but as he thought about it, was the most possible one. But he had to admit, that if he had to chose his murderer, he would want it to be someone he knew and trust and understood. But it wouldn't be murder in any case, not to him. After all, both would die with no hope. Any realist (or existentialist for that matter) could see that. And it was the path of least pain.

A path whose door handle was in Kouichi's hand. And Kouji had little doubt he would hand it over to his brother.

After all, why prolong death when pain waited at the end?

But still, he feverishly hoped that he was reading his brother wrong.

A fool's hope; the twins knew each other too well for that.

'You're running out of time,' Akane said coolly, jerking the hand with the gun. 'Make your choice.'

* * *

><p>'Junpei?' Hagane Shibiyama asked, concerned, as his son got off his cell phone.<p>

'The twins ran out for some reason,' he replied, trying to subdue the raising panic. 'Their father went after them.'

'Sir?'

The Inspector leaned out of his car to look at the officer who had hailed him.

'Hai?'

'We need you to come-' The lady began, only to be cut off by her especially irate superior.

'I'm afraid I need to check on some people first,' he said tersely. 'So if you excuse me.'

He could feel the squad's eyes on him as he reversed out of his parking space, but ignored them.

After all, blood was thicker than water. And even if they weren't linked by blood, Junpei's friends were almost a family to him.

And he had a duty to withhold that.

'Remind me of the address again,' he said to his son.

Junpei told him, and the two sped away, disregarding traffic laws seeing as the driver was a cop.

* * *

><p>'Well?' the woman asked, sounding bored. 'What's it going to be?'<p>

Kouichi didn't move, the trigger of death still in his hands. But it wasn't the mind vs. heart debate going on in his head. He knew which decision was right for him; he was simply afraid. Afraid of what it was. Afraid of how his brother would react. Afraid he wouldn't ever forgive him-

'Time's up,' the Chief Inspector supplied, finger readying as she pointed it to the other's gut.

Kouichi closed his own eyes, before forcing them open. Quicker than the other, he snapped the trigger-

-and the bullet hit, straight between his brother's blue orbs, in the third eye where one shot a horse to put them out of their misery.

'That wasn't so hard, was it?' the murderess commented as the gun clattered from the other's hands as the horror of what he had just done lurched. She came closer to him, gun pressed to his temple (though she knew she needn't worry about him running away), and used a hand, to the other all fleshy and decayed as though belonging to a corpse (even though there were gloves adorning them), to cover the other's airway.

Kouichi gagged, mind still reeling. He was sure, he _knew_ he had done the right thing. They were both going to die, and she would have tortured them both. This way, at least he got out...but, to killed by his own brother-

His head spun, the putrid smell clogging up his brain.

'Sleep for now,' the voice, dripping with oozing honey and reminding him eerily of Cherubimon, whispered into his ear, hand still taunt and preventing oxygen from saving his consciousness. 'But since you're the last, I'll let you be awake for the treat. How's that sound?'

He didn't answer, already drowning in darkness, the beginning of salty tears beginning to run down his face.

* * *

><p>'Kouji! Kouichi!' Kousei yelled again, running in the direction of the gunshots he had heard. Remembering Junpei's words, he had instantly panicked, turning from the empty street he had been scanning through and pelting towards the sounds.<p>

And he wasn't the only one.

From the car, the Shibiyama's had also heard, as had the two officers, on a spur, accompanying him. As it was, the five congregated in the circlet of trees with the smell of a smoking gun and blood in the air.

A torch went on, to reveal boy and dog, both sprouting a bullet wound each, and both deathfully still.

'Kouji,' his father whispered, recognising his son immediately, before realising his other child was still missing. 'Kouichi? Where-?'

An officer spotted the gun on the ground where it had been dropped, along with the bent and worn grass next to it. Using the light, she immediately started snapping pictures.

'There were two people standing here,' she informed. 'One set of marks looks like a teenager, but the others are adult, but the size is hard to tell.'

'We're dealing with a pair of twins,' the Inspector informed. 'It could have been either of them.'

She nodded, retrieving the gun and putting it into a clear plastic bag. 'I'll have this checked out at the station. If it's registered, a fingerprint dust won't take long.'

After receiving affirmation, she left in the squad car, leaving her partner to accompany the Inspector.

'Sir,' Kagura began, a little hesitantly, from where he had been examining the body. 'This couldn't have taken place too long ago. We heard the shots ourselves, so I apologise.'

'Whatever for?' Hagane asked, confused.

'For doubting you sir,' Tsuki explained. 'Sometime during today's work, when investigating the school to be exact, it occurred to me that all cases have been associated with blind spots, information of which-'

'-only higher ups in the police departments know,' Inspector Shibiyama completed. 'I realised that when Orimoto-chan-'

'You knew her sir?'

'Her, and these two twins too. They're all good friends of my son.'

He gestured at Junpei, who was trying hopelessly to comfort the distraught father while now mourning for two friends in the same night and worrying for a third.

'Well,' the Officer pressed on awkwardly. 'You cannot have had anything to do with it, seeing as you were right in front of us, but that still leaves a handful.'

'Indeed it does.' Hagane frowned, surveying the scene. 'But the report on the gun should hopefully clear things up.'

'Unless it's from the training room?'

'Unless it's from the training room.'

The two men looked at the remaining two, before sighing simultaneously. 'As it is, only three more higher ups are even associated with this case. The Chief Inspector, the Inspector from Investigations, and the Superintendent, the last of which wasn't involved until about halfway through.'

Hagane frowned. 'What sort of world is it where we can't trust our own superiors for what they do?'

Kagura simply shook his head. 'I'm afraid I don't know.'

'Well, I suppose I had better ring the Chief Inspector.'

* * *

><p>Kouichi stirred, before slowly opening his eyes, only to find his entire body bound tightly to something cool.<p>

'Awake?' the calm female voice asked. 'Good.'

He gasped, cringing away from the cold air blasting into his nostrils.

'I had to make sure no pollen could be detected,' she explained coolly. 'And that my victims were still alive. But that's not necessary now, so I'll take it back.'

The rubbery fingers wrapped around the mask, just over his cheeks, before withdrawing, and taking the plastic life-prolonger with it. The air was suddenly less cold and pure, less harsh, but at the same time something plagued it as though something had died.

Of course. How many other teenagers had died in his place again? Fifteen?

'You don't feel the effects now,' the woman continued her tale. 'But my plants will feast on your blood. Things will get more interesting once you've lost more than a litre. And you should consider yourself lucky. The others never woke.'

The other tried to speak, but something hard was in his mouth, stopping him.

'I couldn't have the neighbours hear,' she commented coyly, as his head spun slightly. 'I'll leave you now. I'm sure you want to mourn for your dear brother.'

From there on, he was alone, feeling his blood slowly drain, trying frantically to twist away from the binds that held him as his vision and senses alternated in tunnelling into a tube of darkness. His consciousness slowly slipped, till it was hanging on by a thread of hair, and tears streamed down his face as reality and the dream world merged into one.

And then his brother was there. Right in front of him. With the sun shining behind him, just as he had been in his hallucinations in the Dark Area of the Digital World.

He tried to tell him he was sorry. Really, he tried. But his voice was caught in his throat, and that cold, stern face, shaped to perfection and glowing like a halo, simply stared at him, denying his last peace.

Because he could not ask for forgiveness, and the one he needed to ask could not give it to him.

* * *

><p>'Fujieda-kun just called,' Officer Kagura reported, after more personnel had been sent out. None of their superiors had been called; everyone agreed that caution is the best prevention. Some of the younger members were scared; rather understandably as they were at the stage of figuring out who to trust in the task force, only to be suddenly told they cannot do so. 'The gun <em>was<em> from the training room, but they found Kimura-kun's fingerprints on it, assumedly under duress, along with small traces of a substance they managed to identify as a type of perfume, so they've assumed it belongs to a female officer.'

'A female officer?' The Inspector frowned. 'That only leaves the Chief Inspector.'

'Kiyomizu-sama? You think she-but why?'

Hagane frowned. 'I heard a story when I was new to the task force. She's never been married, but she had been engaged to someone quite a few years back, but he caught a deadly disease, some new virulent strand, and died the day before their wedding. I believe she took a turn for the worse, and was temporarily forced for tiime off after that. The SuperIntendent at the time was about to dismiss her permanently on grounds of mentality, but she returned soon after and was fine, so people forgot. She's one of the best agents in Criminal Investigations, so no-one questions her.'

'But what has to do with anything?' Kagura asked, confused and a little apprehensive.

'She did try to commit suicide at some point,' the other pointed out. 'But still, it's hard to believe the woman who is our commanding officer is the same person as the one with the rumours from that time. I don't like simply accusing someone I've trusted for years.'

'Neither would I,' he agreed, before hesitating. 'The Chief Inspector wears perfume.'

'She does,' the Inspector frowned. 'Does hell for my allergies too.'

'And she didn't pick up her phone.'

The two looked at each other. 'Sir,' Tsuki began. 'It would put my mind to rest at least if we investigated this.'

'Mine as well. Sometimes, the right thing and the easy thing are about as far apart as the sun and the moon.'

Hagane Shibiyama looked up, finding no moon...nothing, save the stretch of black sky and the occasional scattered star.

'Trust isn't the only thing lost on this ride.'

* * *

><p>Insistent knocking brought Chief Inspector Akane Kiyomizu to her front door.<p>

'Inspector?' she asked, not sounding very surprised, looking from Hagane to Officer Tsuki Kagura behind him, along with the two civilians, one whom they had refused to let leave, the other who had refused to leave himself until his remaining son was found. 'Come in.'

'There have been a few more murders,' Inspector Shibiyama began explaining, once they were all comfortably seated. 'And a teenager is missing. Fourteen year old.'

She nodded. 'I know.'

The man stopped. 'You-'

But he didn't have time to dwell on the implications of that statement as the woman stood. He noted that she had never looked more pale, nor more beautiful, as she had at that moment.

'Come,' she said softly. 'Follow me.'

Caught between curiosity, disbelief and horror, they all followed.

A door swung open, and then they were all outside again. And roses were everywhere.

Hagane sneezed again, before suddenly realising the smell. 'This is the same smell as the perfume you wear,' he realised, his voice accusatory as pieces clicked into an undeniable picture, but pieces were still missing. It still didn't make sense. 'Why?'

Akane stroked the rose petals nearest to her gently. 'Because I could,' she said quietly. 'No-one ever wondered why plants survived primarily on water and several other essential nutrients, the same nutrients we possess in our blood, and yet they cannot feed off the same life source as us? The truth is, they can. And it makes them much stronger. Much more lasting.'

Her voice had taken a dreamlike quality, as Junpei, being shorter than the adults and thus less noticeable, slipped away to search the garden for his friend. _He_ was more important now. The explanation could be saved.

'He always gave me roses, you know,' she continued in the same tone. 'I buried the last one here, and spilled my blood on it. I meant to join him that day...but fate didn't like that. His rose grew, and became this magnificent garden. But it needed blood to live. More blood. So I gave it. But now it is at its prime. It is enough now.'

Her white skin shone translucent in the light from the house. 'Under there, under all those roses, he is waiting.'

'It is foolishness,' Kagura shouted, shocked at the ludicrousness of the tale. 'What nonsense are you sprouting?'

'Nonsense to you,' the woman retorted. 'But it was all I had. You haven't loved like that to know Kagura.'

She closed her eyes, savouring the smell of her garden.

'I couldn't join him. So I had to wait till he called. But he's calling now...'

She fell, letting the branches of the rose trees catch her as her mouth parted slightly, laughing lightly as she could see her past refolding. Leaving behind a present she had barely lived in.

In fact, one could say she had not at all, as an autopsy a few hours later revealed the corpse had been at least a few months old, decay slowed as though captivated in ice.

It was a story of love, tragedy and betrayal, a supernatural horror tale that no-one truly understood.

But as the Inspector who had been touched a little too deep set fire to the end of the tale once all else was done, he knew the extent that love and tragedy sent people.

He knew the extent that loss drove desperation. He could see the proof.

And he let it burn, so the next could perhaps be postponed.

But such was the way of life. Such always happened. Perhaps not the same way, but the circle would be completed again.

After all, such was the way of life.

* * *

><p>Junpei followed the twists and trails left by the rose bushes, searching through the foliage. At some point, somewhere in the middle he thought, he stumbled across a plastic spread and an alcove amongst the trees, and-<p>

'Kouchi!' he shouted, not caring, but somehow hoping someone heard. Save that crazy woman who had been his father's boss.

He couldn't help but shiver as he knelt before the unconscious boy. 'C'mon Kouichi,' he prayed. 'Please, wake up.'

The blue orbs, cloudy with pain and loss of blood, opened vaguely, eyes staring aimlessly to a point beside Junpei's left shoulder before slowly focusing. 'Jun...pei..?'

'Yeah, it's me,' the other soothed, pulling the roots trapping him away with ease and lifting the smaller, frailer form into his lap. 'You'll be okay now. I've got you.'

'Kouji...' the boy barely breathed, wet with sweet and as pale as a white sheet. 'I-'

'Shush,' the ex-warrior of thunder hushed gently. 'It's okay. He's not hurt.'

'-killed him,' the other continued, tone so soft and lost that it easily brought tears to the eyes of his best friend.

'I understand,' he replied, and in that instance, he did, as if he had always known. Perhaps it was because he _had_ to; he was the only one now who could take this last burden from a dying child's shoulders. 'You did it to spare him. And he understands too. Trust me. He forgives you.'

And Kouji was there too, beside him. Izumi too. Takuya, and Tomoki. His family and friends, all smiling, all offering his arms, all mouthing something to him...

The clouded eyes held his brown ones a moment, before they slipped.

Junpei gripped him tighter. 'C'mon Kou. Don't give up on me. Your father's here too.'

And he was, having appeared over the boy's shoulder somewhere in the exchange, unable to say anything in this final moment of truth.

And there was nothing else that could be said. The smallest of smiles cracked over the pale face, before the half-lidded eyes lost their last spark of life, gazing sightlessly at the dark sky as the burdened soul was finally released of its last load. Told of its forgiveness, the messenger had set it free.

And Junpei cried. Cried for the three friends he had lost, and others, victims, friends, families...anyone who had been touched by this unbelievable tale.

But to him, it was all too real. And the evidence lay right in his arms.

It wasn't fair.

But life was never fair, was it?

* * *

><p><span>Post Author's Notes<span>

All right. Here's the reasoning for some of the stuff.

Blood loss of around 2.8L (enough to just kill a teen. Therefore need to lose approximately 40% of blood in order to die. Okay? Make sense. If not, just go along with the fact that it's normal. I double check with my biology tutor.

As for the plant description, apart from the supernatural stuff, everything else also comes from my biology notes. Plant biology. I got a H1 too, so odds are I've remembered correctly.

I'm reading Riders of the Purple Sage now. Only second chapter and I'm already hooked.

Kouichi, having already died once, is more in tune to the spirit plane than others, so he would detect supernatural things faster than others. His senses are attuned to them as well which is why he smelt (and partially saw) a corpse instead of a live human...for this story anyway.

A little more anatomy. A shot to the gut is rather painful (you'd know if you've read Of Mice and Men) and it takes awhile to die from that. Normally days, but Akane had plenty of bullets to spare so she could have cut that time. A shot to the brain is alot faster and more damaging, and alot less painful, especially if you target the third eye. That one is from Translations in Celadon.

Akane didn't try too hard to hide things by the end. She didn't need to. She got what she wanted. They figured it out too late.

The ending didn't quite come out how it had looked in my head, but it was the best I could do.

And raise your hand if you saw the ending coming from a mile away. Oneshots really ought to be oneshots by the end. Ruins most of the suspense.

Translations

Salve – Hello (slightly more formal than ciao) in Italian

Mi dispiace – I am sorry in Italian

Buona note – good night in Italian

Si – yes in Italian


End file.
